The HELPERS project is designed to grow and strengthen community support networks for recently released prisoners.  We understand that recidivism is caused in part by alienation from the greater community. 

We work to reduce that sense of isolation in two ways.  On a small, practical level, we provide ex-offenders with a kit of supplies to ease their transition back into the community.  On a larger scale, we work to educate community members about the harsh reality of a criminal justice system that seeks primarily to punish and not to rehabilitate.

Through this work we hope to remind ourselves of what community can be - how crime tears the social fabric that creates common bonds, and how we can repair the rips only through dialogue, forgiveness and accountability to one another.